President Trump should wear a mask

I am wearing a mask these days when I am near people — not primarily to protect myself against COVID in public, and not even solely to protect the public against me, in case I am unknowingly infected, but also as a symbol of co-operation and awareness of the ongoing pandemic. I am not convinced that masks are more important than physical distancing. I am concerned that people wrongly believe that wearing a mask automatically protects them from incoming viruses. 

Not only that, but studies have not proven that masks in public work, and a recent large population study in the “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences” had design flaws. But I wear them anyway, because I think they add something medically important and as a show of respect. I keep my masks clean and change them frequently, and I try not to touch them and then touch my face and surfaces. I wear them tightly because a loose-fitting or filthy mask is another symbol and sign of carelessness or haphazardness that we don’t need right now. 

I wear a mask, and I believe the president of the United States should wear one too. Not entirely to protect those around him, as he is tested for COVID several times a week, and it is doubtful that he has it, but as a symbol of leadership, we are all in this together. It isn’t clear whether it is the masks that protect Asian societies that wear them regularly, or whether it is the physical distancing or the culture that goes along with it. Still, either way, a mask is an essential part of the pandemic picture. 

A killer pandemic is a time when personal freedom must give way to public health. This applies to demonstrations as well as rallies, to going to a bar and huddling together over a drink to elevators or mass transit. Close quarters put others at risk of acquiring COVID-19 if there is any of it around. It spreads easily in close quarters, especially in areas of poor ventilation, but inside as well as outside.

First Amendment rights must give way to the needs of national tragedy during a contagious pandemic just as they do during a war. But these leadership responses need to be consistent, not condoning protests while criticizing rallies or church gatherings. Divisiveness or political posturing breeds fear, and fear causes people to over-personalize the risk. The virus itself is bad enough, but worry about the virus can lead to additional medical problems beginning with anxiety and depression.

Even as COVID-19 surges in the South and the West, with more than 35,000 new cases per day, at the same time, the death rate remains very low, around 300 cases per day nationwide.

The shift to a younger population who tend to have milder cases is reassuring, as long as we can keep our elderly and chronically ill and obese people protected. The smaller the numbers, the lower the risk. Wearing a mask, though imperfect, sends the right message of respect and role modeling.

President Trump needs to wear one. It can even be hand-stitched with the initials MAGA if he wants.

Marc Siegel, M.D., is a professor of medicine and medical director at Doctor Radio at NYU Langone Health. He is a Fox News medical correspondent. Follow him on Twitter @drmarcsiegel.